Large wahoo may turn into big championship

Team TotalVision weighed a 33-pound wahoo -- the only one caught Saturday -- and put itself in position to win the fourth annual King of the Inlet Offshore Tournament.

GODWIN KELLYOUTDOORS EDITOR

PONCE INLET — Team TotalVision weighed a 33-pound Wahoo — the only one caught Saturday — and put itself in position to win the fourth annual King of the Inlet Offshore Tournament.

The King, based at Inlet Harbor Marina, is the only area offshore tournament that offers three rounds of fishing over a three-month span. It pays out more than $35,000 in prize money each season. The champion, who pockets $5,000, is determined by points.

The Tegemareeb topped the Round 3 tournament board in the dolphin class weighing a 40.9-pound bull, which drew a rousing applause from spectators, while Wil Sea weighed the heaviest king mackerel — a 22.9-pound fish.

The five teams in King title contention are Lucky Strike, Real Diggin, Blank Check, TotalVision and Cuba Bear, which led the first two rounds of the tournament. Tournament officials will announce the final points tally and champion at 4 p.m. Sunday at Inlet Harbor.

“We've done the math and we are very hopeful,” said Barry Hughes, who was hanging around the dockside leaderboard with teammates Rob Evans, Shane Murray, Eric Sheridan and Pat Hughes. All live in Port Orange.

“We had a game plan,” Barry Hughes said. “We knew we needed multiple species in order to win. We left very early, about 1:30 (Saturday morning). We took it seriously. These (people) are all the best fishermen in the Halifax area. I'm blessed with a good crew.”

TotalVision ran north to St. Augustine then spent the day fishing its way back south toward the inlet. They nabbed the wahoo in about 1,000 feet of water between St. Augustine and Daytona Beach. The team started to prep on Wednesday.

“We were getting the boat ready at Barry's house at midnight, so it's been a long day,” said Murray, whose team was positioned sixth overall before Round 3. “I'm really excited to be part of this team. It would be nice to win.

“The very first round, we bombed out; didn't catch anything. We came back strong. It's nice to have a three-leg tournament.”

While the 29-boat field dodged isolated thunderstorms, the water was smooth and glassy.

“Great turnout and the points look close,” tournament director Pete Richardson said. “Nobody is a guaranteed winner until all the fishing is done. The points system works.”

King organizers will host the Queen of the Inlet Tournament from July 12-14.